At about 1005 Eastern time, the airplane collided with terrain following an in-flight loss of aircraft control. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan was in effect. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The instrument-rated private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The flight originated at 0950.
While flying at 17,000 feet msl, the pilot reported he was in icing conditions. The pilot requested a climb, and the flight was subsequently cleared to FL200. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 17,900 feet and then began to descend. Radar and radio contact were lost about 1005.
The airplane impacted a wooded Interstate highway median. Several sections of the airplane, including the propeller assembly, came to rest in a wooded area on the east side of the northbound lanes. A post-crash fire was evident in the median, where the fuselage came to rest. The outboard section of the right wing and several sections of the empennage were found about 0.25 miles southwest of the fuselage, in a residential area.
